247: Chapter 247 Hou Liangping Interrogates Qian Bugou

He tapped the tabletop lightly and muttered to himself, "Something is wrong. This case of Qian Bugou is highly problematic. Hundreds of millions in funds have gone missing, yet no one investigated it thoroughly? Could it be that there is a protective umbrella behind Qian Bugou? No, I must investigate this matter properly."

He picked up his phone, stared at the word "Father-in-law" displayed in his contacts, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed the number.

The other end would not connect at all. Clearly, Secretary Zhong was likely in a meeting, and most likely one that required confidentiality.

Hou Liangping thought for a moment, then dialed Zhong Xiaoai's number, saying, "Xiaoai, it's me. I've discovered some clues regarding a major case and wanted to ask Dad for his opinion, but I can't get through to his phone. Could you help me vet this first?"

Zhong Xiaoai's tone was somewhat impatient: "Hou Liangping, what is wrong with you? This is a case for your Anti-Corruption Bureau, why are you asking me?"

"This case was originally handled by the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Anti-Corruption Bureau together," Hou Liangping explained. "It's a case involving the banking System. While organizing the files, I discovered some suspicious points involving hundreds of millions of funds with unclear origins; this is a major loss of state-owned assets. I intend to investigate it."

"You want to dredge up old accounts? Hou Liangping, are you sick in the head?" Zhong Xiaoai's voice suddenly became stern. "You want to dig up something that has already been settled? Have you thought about how many people this will offend?"

"Don't get anxious," Hou Liangping quickly explained. "I looked at it carefully; the number of personnel handling the case back then was very small, not even meeting the relevant regulations, and the procedures were not very rigorous. You should take a look too, it's the case of Qian Bugou. 'Qian' as in money, 'Bu' as in not, 'Gou' as in filth—Qian Bugou. Rest assured, I am very cautious in my work."

"Wait there, let me take a look," Zhong Xiaoai said, then hung up the phone.

Thirty minutes later, Zhong Xiaoai called back. Hou Liangping quickly answered: "Xiaoai, how is it? I was right, wasn't I?"

Zhong Xiaoai was silent for a moment before saying in a flat tone: "The basic situation you described is true. I just checked on the personnel who handled the case back then; one has retired and apparently passed away last year; the rest have all resigned to go into business. I just asked my Dad, and he said that based on his experience, there should be a big fish behind this money, only that the fish was too slippery back then and managed to slip away. You can go and ask Qian Bugou about the situation now."

Hou Liangping's face lit up: "Dad is letting me investigate?"

"He is letting you go ask about the situation first," Zhong Xiaoai lowered her voice. "Dad said, first clarify whether this matter has any connection to Former Secretary Zhao Lichun, that is, the Zhao family."

"Understood."

Hou Liangping hung up the phone, snorted, curled his lips slightly, and muttered to himself, "To have embezzled so much, and over a decade ago at that, the audacity is truly immense. Let's see me drag you out."

The afternoon of the third day, interrogation room of the Southern Suburb Prison in the Imperial Capital.

Hou Liangping sized up the person in front of him, making no effort to hide the contempt in his eyes.

This person was thin, had a crew cut, was hunched in the chair, and had a timid expression. Compared to the plump and round person in the photograph, the person before him looked like a completely different individual. One must admit, the prison food is indeed healthy; the fat-loss effect is quite significant.

"Qian Bugou, right?" Hou Liangping tapped the table. "Let me introduce myself; my name is Hou Liangping, Director of the Investigation Division of the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate Anti-Corruption Bureau. I've come to see you specifically today; you should know what this means, right?"

Qian Bugou looked bewildered.

He had been in the slammer for several years already, and everything he should have confessed had been confessed cleanly long ago. He was currently behaving well, focused entirely on striving for a sentence reduction.

Hou Liangping smiled faintly: "You don't know? Then let me remind you. A portion of the content you confessed back then has been determined to contain significant concealment—the sentence you were given was too light."

Qian Bugou's face was full of surprise, and he blurted out: "Impossible!"

Hou Liangping leaned back in his chair unhurriedly, striking a condescending pose: "Don't be hasty. Think carefully, is there something you haven't confessed clearly? That was a huge sum of money, and it didn't even end up in your pocket. If you don't speak up, all that awaits you is an extension of your sentence. Qian Bugou, I am here today to give you a chance. If you behave well, I can help you get your sentence reduced."

Qian Bugou swallowed his saliva, his voice dropping a few notches: "Director Hou, I've been in here for so many years; some things I truly can't remember clearly, and what I needed to say, I said long ago. If there were really a problem, it should have been investigated back then. How about... you give me a specific hint?"

Hou Liangping sneered: "Today is different from the past. Back then, some people were high and mighty, and no one dared to touch them, but that might not be the case now. Think about it carefully again."

Qian Bugou's heart skipped a beat.

He had actually already vaguely guessed some things—the mysterious second-generation official back then, and his white glove.

That large sum of money was funneled out through his connections. But when the incident came to light, no one cared about that sum of money, and it wasn't even included when his sentence was determined. Clearly, someone had suppressed the matter. At the time, he had secretly rejoiced that he would serve less time, but he never expected that before his prison term was even over, someone would dig this matter up again.

He was silent for a moment, then asked: "Are you sure you can help me reduce my sentence? I'll tell you first, I know very little about that matter, but if you investigate further down the line, you might not be able to afford to offend the people behind it."

The corners of Hou Liangping's mouth curled up imperceptibly—a big fish, there really was a big fish.

His smile remained unchanged, but his tone deepened: "Times have changed. Just because some people were hard to offend back then doesn't mean they are hard to offend now. Nowadays, the country has zero tolerance for corrupt elements, and the investigation into the loss of state-owned assets is even stricter than ever. You should understand what I mean, right?"

Qian Bugou's eyes rolled around, and he finally relented: "Actually, I confessed quite fully about that matter back then; it's just that no one asked any deeper."

"Those companies were deregistered long ago, and the legal representatives were all different; it's obvious they were proxies," Hou Liangping stared him down. "You only need to tell me who the handler was."

Qian Bugou was stunned: "The handler? I confessed that."

Hou Liangping was taken aback, suppressing the excitement in his heart. Good heavens, this really is a big fish! To have forcibly covered up such important information, and it wasn't even written in the files.

On the surface, he maintained his condescending expression: "I know you confessed it, of course, but I need you to provide more complete information!"

Qian Bugou narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Hou Liangping: "Are you sure you can reduce my sentence?"

"If you have significant meritorious service during your sentence, of course you can get a reduction," Hou Liangping's gaze was sharp, his tone carrying a hint of temptation. "Speak, start with the handler. Let me tell you, I, Hou Liangping, have never believed in evil. Our Anti-Corruption Bureau specializes in investigating corrupt officials. Since I am sitting here today, it's only natural that I have already grasped some things, and I certainly won't fear anyone. Qian Bugou, whether it's an extended sentence or a reduced sentence for merit, you had better think it through."

...My apologies, patrons, I uploaded the wrong file today; I uploaded the draft.